I posted yesterday on my Facebook page about how the kids and I were going on a road trip that only I knew the destination but let me give you a little back story.
Can I be honest and vulnerable for a moment?
For a while now, I have struggled in my parental role. More often than not, I feel like I am screwing up or am the worst mom ever.
I spend more time on my phone than giving my kids time and attention.
I am not a fun or crafty mom.
I am not the PTA mom or soceer mom.
I yell more often than not, and giving grace is something I struggle with.
Rather than dwelling on my shortcomings as a parent or feeling like I'm failing at this whole parenting thing, I should focus on the positive aspects of my parenting and how I can improve. I believe in the power of positivity and am actively shifting my mindset away from negativity. I surely don't want my kids to think negatively about themselves when they become parents because does anyone know what they are doing in this whole parenting thing?
We survive one day at a time by doing our best, which is OK!
A frequent prayer of mine goes something like this:
"Lord, help me to show my children more of your grace and love. Show me ways to teach them about you in ways they will understand."
So, an opportunity presented itself yesterday.
The kids have been saving every penny they earn for a turtle since the beginning of the year, including their birthday money. They still need more money to get a turtle and set up its home.
Great news! The turtle's habitat is coming along nicely. They've got the tank and heat lamp all setup and ready to go. They need to grab a filter, a rock, and the turtle itself, but they've already set aside some of the money required.
The past couple of weeks have been rough around our home. The kids have been talking back, fighting, complaining, nagging, getting into physical fights, bad attitudes, etc. We are at the point in summer where the kids NEED to return to school!
Our patience is running thin in the Miranda household.
I have Mondays off from work, and I usually try my hardest to spend extra time with the kids on Mondays and be that fun, cool mom. Today, all they wanted to do this morning was fight and argue, and it got to the point where I told them:
"Do you think I want to spend any time with you acting like this?!"
They both agreed the answer was no.
But God gave me a little nudge about an opportunity to teach them about Jesus, just as I had prayed for. I typically don't come up with good ideas on my own.
My mind went to this turtle they wanted so badly as we were trying to come up with something fun to do. Despite a difficult morning and the fact that Mom would have to provide the remaining funds, I felt compelled to extend grace and surprise them with a turtle today. It was something God laid on my heart to do.
They didn't deserve this surprise.
They didn't earn the rest of the money needed to buy this turtle.
But grace.
I love this definition of grace:
"God's grace is usually defined as undeserved favor. Grace cannot be earned; it is something that is freely given."
So, we drove 35 minutes to the pet store. We went to the turtle aisle, and I gave them the good news that I would help them bring their dream turtle home.
The looks on their face were priceless.
Their hugs and thank yous warmed my heart and gave me such joy to tell them yes.
We got into the car, and I told them this turtle (named Squirt) comes with a lesson.
After how they acted the past few weeks, I asked them if they thought they deserved the turtle.
They both agreed they did not.
I then told them that this was what grace looked like.
I asked them who else gives grace like this, and they both said, "Jesus."
I told them to remember this lesson of grace every time they look at this turtle and the next time they "mess up," to remember how much God loves them and gives them grace.
I don't want this to sound like I figured out this parenting thing because that is FAR from the truth. But I am calling this a parenting win.
As caring parents and faithful Christians, we should always watch for opportunities to teach our kids important life lessons. These moments give us an amazing opportunity to guide them on the path of God's love, mercy, and grace. Will you always get it right? Doubtful.
But God.
But grace.
So welcome to the family Squirt. I pray my kids always remember this lesson on grace for years to come, and you bring my children joy when they see you and care for you with love.
Just like Jesus does.
'𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝔂 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓼𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓭, 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓽𝓱—𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓼, 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓰𝓲𝓯𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓖𝓸𝓭— '
𝓔𝓹𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓼 2:8
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